To Forge A Weapon
by darkshaman817
Summary: Naruto is forced to become a weapon in the service of Konoha. An attempt on his life will jumpstart this crash course into power. semidark naruto. no pairings as of yet
1. Initiative 461

Five years ago, the Kyuubi no Kitsune attacked the ninja village of Konoha.

Five years ago, a child was born.

Today, fate would twist its strings and alter history.

Chapter 1 – Designation

Light summer rain fell on the quiet village of Konoha. The dimming twilight cast a sleepy glow over the village.

A lone ninja ran across rooftops and streets towards the Hokage tower that stood tall over the central district of the town. His breathing was haggard, and his one visible eye showed veins of strain and panic.

15 minutes later

A dozen men shuffled into the large conference room of the Hokage Tower, confused and seemingly a bit irritated.

"Hokage-sama. Why were we called on such short notice?"

The aforementioned old man blew out a few smoke rings before rising.

"This is an emergency meeting. Keep in mind that what you hear cannot and must not be taken out of this office."

The council members looked at each other confused and anxious. _What the hell could this be?_

"Just now, I've received a report from Hatake Kakashi and his team of jounin on guard watch on the Fire/Wind border. The group was attacked and received wounds ranging from medium to severe."

They were shocked. "We should strike back this instant! Sunagakure has been getting under our skin for too long!"

"I'm not finished. The jounin group group of five was ambushed….by a single nin."

Sarutobi registered their silent shock as he continued.

"It is nothing short of a miracle that the squad returned alive for the perpetrator…..was a jinchuukiri."

_That_ got their attention. "That's it! I always knew the jinchuukiri were dangerous! We should have destroyed the Uzumaki child long ago!"

The other council members voiced their agreement and soon the entire room was in an uproar.

Suddenly, a teapot shattered to pieces on the middle of the table, shocking the council members back into silence.

"I DID NOT SAY I WAS FINISHED!"

The council shifted uneasily and settled back in their seats.

"Before I was so _rudely_ interrupted, I wished to deliver another piece of news. The kumo nins _also_ have a jinchuukiri, and according to my student, Jiraiya's research, the child is being groomed into a weapon. And I am sure _all_ of you know whom the Cloud despises the most."

The same council member who spoke up about Naruto was about to stand before the Hokage cut him off by raising his palm.

"Now, I want you all to listen carefully. There may not be any battles going on at the moment, or any wars being declared. But I assure you, _we are in a state of war_. The Cloud has hated us for years, and it was with those same eyes that the sand views us. Now both are developing demon container weapons. If the two decide to ally against us, _we will FALL_!"

The councilmen muttered nervously.

"But….there is a solution." They looked up with curiosity. The Hokage found this annoying. "Are you men serious?!?! Think! We have a jinchuukiri _of our own_. We also possess a superweapon by which Konoha shall never fall to the likes of the Sand or Cloud."

The same council member (what a dumb fuck) jumped to his feet. "I will not have this! That child is a threat! If we train the demon, what if it tries to have revenge and kill us all?" Before anyone else could agree, a kunai flew threw the air, nicking off the man's beard and embedding itself in the wall behind him.

"I will not tolerate such stupidity! You may think I've gone soft and senile in my old age, but you are mistaken. I _am_ the Hokage, and my thoughts are for the utmost protection of this village. Why can't you see? We are at a time of _crisis_. This Cold War cannot go on much longer without violence erupting. Konoha may be the most powerful village now, but the others are rising. A greater enemy is upon us, and we stand no chance. Our duty as the defenders of this village is that we must rid ourselves of our petty hatreds and differences, and _unite,_ lest we be swept away by the flood. Do I make myself clear, gentlemen?"

No one answered. A few men seemed moved by his words, mainly Hiashi and the Ino-Shika-Chou leaders. However, others still had their distrusting expressions.

"Good. As of this moment, I'm initiating Hokage martial order number 461. Uzumaki Naruto is to be transferred into the custody of one of my trusted officers, and groomed into a prime warrior. This is an S-class order vital to the safety of the village, and any interference will be dealt with _accordingly_. Well, if that is all, then this meeting is adjourned."

The Hokage left the room and returned to his offices. The councilmen murmured. Kouza, one of the former Stone war strategists, nervously pulled at his shirt. _Shit. Maybe this was bad timing_.

A mile away

A chunnin hefted his ninja gear. His mask covered his mask except for his eyes. His ninjato (ninja short sword) was strapped across his back. Night had fallen, and he moved stealthily in the shadows, knowing that if ANBU caught him, he was fucked.

_Demon or not, killing a little kid just don't seem right. I'd rather have him grow up. and torture the shit out of him then. Whatever. Kouza sama paid handsomely for this. For Kouza sama…and mother._ He thought of his mother, and ex kuniochi who had been incinerated in the Kyuubi attack.

_Here_. He used chakra to walk up the wall, and entered the sleeping boy's room silently.

_According to this scroll, I'd have to cut here- and here to disguise it as a Cloud sword style and….ew! this is sick! Sigh.. Whatever, it must be done_.

He pulled out his short sword and raised it over his head.

--

A lone ANBU known only as "Yamato" had been sent to pick up the jinchuukiri.

_Makes sense that I've been chosen. Noone else can control the demon if it escapes. Not to mention, I'm a bit of an outcast myself._ He thought, remembering the ostracizing he had received after escaping from Orochimaru.

Suddenly a scream pierced the night. He jumped to his senses.

_That was…..Noone lives here! That's Naruto!_

Yamato jumped to the open hallway, made his way to the door, and simply exploded it. (It was wood). He switched on the light, and thus, shocked the masked chuunin.

Naruto was on the floor, either passed out or dead. An angry X shaped scar bisected his left eye. (The center point of the X was the eye, and it spreads out from there). And the boys right arm was cut off at the elbow.

The chuunin felt the immense killer intent and tried to flee, but found himself frozen.

"You fool… You've no idea what you've done." The chuunin stared in shock as the jounin's arm became a wooden stake. He shut his eyes, scared shitless, when a kick launched him through the wall and was knocked out when he hit he ground below.

"Hokage-sama will be more pissed than me. Be thankful I had the child to look after."

Yamato turned his attention to Naruto.

_My my, this ain't an easy wound to fix. And he's never going to be the super ninja Hokage-sama wants with these disabilities_. Yamato had just finished making tourniquets and a stretcher out of wood when a red blast knocked him to the wall. _What in the world?_

--

Naruto was lost. One second, a scary looking man with a mean blade woke him up. Then pain. And now, he was in some kind of dark hallway. Pipes were on the walls, dripping whatever they were carrying.

"Am I dead? Is this really what the afterlife is like?"

**HAHAHAHA. FOOLISH KID**

Naruto turned in shock. "Who's there?!"

**Come down the hallway and find out.**

Nervously, Naruto walked down and arrived at a giant chamber. In the middle of the room, equally giant bars, like those of a jail cell separated the other side of the room. Before anything, a giant red eye appeared. Naruto was frozen in shock.

**A whimp…. My container is a fucking whimp…….I have the _best_ of luck sometimes.** The _thing_ said sarcastically.

"Wh-Who are you?" Naruto asked, his teeth chattering.

**Finally you ask! Voila! In view, a humble vaudevillian veteran cast vicariously as both victim and villain by the vicissitudes of fate. A legendary voyeur of vixens, and a vengeful vendetta holder am I. A vile and violently vicious demon, notorious for his vigilance and villainy, I am the Kyuubi no Kitsune! **The red eye bobbed expressively in the darkness, and the voice held power and strength, as well as humor.

With the last outburst, Naruto was thrown to the ground.

"Im-impossible. The yondaime killed you!"

**Za. On the contrary…I cannot die. I was imply sealed into the only thing the Yondaime could use….YOU.**

"So….THATS IT. YOU'RE THE REASON EVERYONE HATES ME!" **True. "**You're the reason why my life is so miserable!" **Indeed** "I hate you!" **O really.**

"Yeah! I hate you I hate you I hate you I hate you!!!" Naruto just dropped to the floor and cried.

**Well then, if the crybaby is done.**

"I'm not a crybaby!!"

**Then get up! And if you do hate me, then face me like a man!**

Naruto rose to his feet, his eyes blazing with fury….well…as much fury as a five year old can handle.

**Now there's an expression worthy of my container. Well….LIGHTS!**

Suddenly the room brightened, and the demon came into view. Naruto clenched his fists….then loosened them in shock.

**Heh. Like what you see?**

The demon fox was sitting like any normal canine, but with two discrepancies. An eyepatch covered its left eye, and it's front left leg was some kind of wooden mechanism that resembled a real fox leg.

**Well, child. You remember the man you saw before coming here. **

Naruto nodded, and shuddered.

**Someone's come and saved you, but he's cut off your left arm and eye**.

Naruto gasped. "What? I'll never be a ninja if I'm a crippl-"

**I'm not done. Your lost appendages have been replaced…..by mine.**

"Huh?!?!!"

**Hahaha. That's all for now. Someone's calling to you. Just remember. You owe me…big……..time……** The fox managed out before the whole subconscious world melted into fog.

--

Naruto opened his blurry eyes and blinked. He was in the Hokage's office on the sofa.

"Hey, old man!"

The Hokage looked worriedly at Naruto. "It's a good thing you're okay."

"Yeah. The fox said something about that."

"You've….talked to the fox?" _The seal was meant to transfer chakra. Perhaps communication is possible as well_.

"He said something about my 'appendages' being replaced by his….What're appendages?"

Sarutobi gulped. _Here comes the hurricane_. He held up a mirror. "Naruto…."

Naruto looked at his reflection…..and blinked…

"AHHHHHHHH!" _HIS EYE WAS RED! MUTHAFUCKIN RED!_

"That's not all….Lift your left arm."

Naruto did so nervously…and passed out again.

His left arm from the elbow and below looked like that of the demon fox's, except proportional to his body.

The sandaime personally, was shocked that the demon would do something like this, but he'd need to ask Naruto when he woke up.

--

The next day

The Hokage managed to get Naruto over the shock, and gave him the best news he'd ever heard. He was going to be a ninja! He'd already met Yamato, who he thought was weird and uptight. As for his hand/claws, the Hokage had gotten him long gloves that went all the way up, thankfully. And bandages still covered half his face, hiding his eye.

This was the day the boy was to go with Yamato to be trained.

As for the assassin, he went to Ibiki…With that statement alone, you can tell that the man spilled his info, and his guts, and both him and Kouza were dealt w ith.

"Naruto…I won't lie to you. You're not going to be any ordinary ninja. You're going to be a weapon."

"A weapon?"

"You see Naruto…In other hidden villages, there are also demon carriers like you. But they're being trained to destroy Konoha."

"Really? So what am I supposed to do?"

"Naruto. Do you want to make the villagers stop hating you?"

Naruto thought of the chuunin who'd tried to kill him. "Of course!"

"Then train hard! Yamato sensei is going to help you become the saviour of the village. You're going to protect us all from these threats. There are silly people out there who hang onto hate, but remember. We're all counting on you."

"Old man, I'll do my best!" Naruto ran out the door, and Yamato gave the Hokage a glance before following after the boy.

The Hokage sighed. He hated himself for lying to the child. He'd practically bribed the boy into becoming a weapon with promises of love and acceptance from the villagers. The boy that went into this specific "crash-course" training wasn't going to be the same one that came out.

_Don't hate me for this, Arashi._

WOOHOOOOO FIRST CHAPTER DOOONNEEEEE. The next few chaps will be as long as, if not longer than this. Ciao.


	2. Rescue, and Bombing Mission

AN: To answer some questions

About the Naruto as a soulless weapon thing; that's been overdone. In this case, it'll be pretty close, but slightly different. He won't be paired with anyone, I promise you that.

Whatever. That question will be answered in this chapter.

And another question/answer. A paw? A fucking paw? When gamabunta henge'd into kyuubi was there a paw? No, it sorta looked like a five digited, jointed, and clawed hand to me. It's a _demon_, not a normal fox.

AN: Expect more V for Vendetta references.

AN2: Oh yeah, I've changed the year that the Cloud/Hinata kidnapping incident happened, for plot purposes. Don't worry, no Naruto/hinata in this fic. It's been disgustingly overdone.

Chapter 2 – Rescue, and Bombing Mission

Two years after training began

A single eye looked around a wall and saw no one. He "whew'd" in relief then set off. On his left shoulder was a lump shaped like the body of an unconscious child.

Kumo no Gashira was supposedly the greatest ninja under the Raikage from Hidden Cloud. This claim was yet to be proven.

_Just a few more kilometers, then I'm out, and the Byakugan is ours!_

--

Another eye watched as the man stealthily ran down the empty street towards his direction. Naruto reviewed his objectives.

FLASHBACK

The Hokage handed Naruto a scroll.

"Naruto, the Cloud emissary is here for the peace treaty; however, it's pretty damn obvious his motives aren't completely honest."

The boy 'hn'd in response.

"For the duration of his stay, you are to keep an eye on him from 11 in the evening to 4 in the morning. Yamato sensei will take over for the other times. Remember to sleep during the day. That is all."

"Hai."

END FLASH

The Hokage never said to _engage_ the man…He racked his brain. He'd had it drilled into his head that no matter what there were five essential pillars that he had to uphold.

_First, the protection of the village. Second, the protection of the Hokage. Third, protection of the citizens. Fourth, maintain the peace. Fifth, uphold justice._

…_.Good enough for me._

--

Gashira stopped when he noticed something in a tree. He looked up….and saw nothing.

_I'm getting paranoid. I need to move before these Hyuuga bastards catch up to me._

He turned to continue running when a figure appeared a few meters down the road.

_The fuck?_

In the dark of the night, he couldn't discern much, but he could tell it was a little boy, maybe 7, 8? He wore a dark sleeveless shirt and pants that Gashira had seen on some of the Academy students of this village. But most noticeably, a bandanna diagonally covered the boy's left eye, and what seemed like a….

_A gauntlet? What the hell's this kid doing with a gauntlet? And on just his left arm?_

The boy coughed. "Ahem. Just what are you doing?"

The Cloud nin just stared incredulous. _I'd expected some Hyuuga guards, but they sent a brat?_

Naruto continued. "According to Hokage's law number 384-2b; _any violence against Konoha's leading clans will be dealt with by severe punishment or death_."

Gashira laughed. "Cute, kid. Now step the fuck out of my way, or I'll kill you"

The boy didn't respond. "Yeah, that's what I tho…ught?"

Naruto reached up to his head, and with a swift movement, pulled off the headband. At first, there was nothing. Then, there was light! Gashira stood petrified by it. The red light that shone out of the kid's eye. The light that made him feel as if his soul were being ripped to pieces. He shook his head.

"Haha. That's quite some kanashibari, kid. I don't know what the fuck's up with your eye, but I do know, you're gonna die now."

"Idiot. Did you think that was it?"

"Eh?" Suddenly, the brat disappeared…then reappeared right in front of him, left arm held high.

The gauntlet slashed downwards, and the claws on the ends of the fingers sliced at the nin's face. If it hadn't been for the forehead protector, Gashira probably would have lost his face in that. He dropped the still unconscious Hinata to the ground.

"Now you're pissing me off." He pulled out a kunai hurled it at the jinchuukiri, who managed to dodge.

"That's not all! **Kunai Bakuuha**! (Kunai Explosion)" The knife exploded, showering Naruto's left arm in metal fragments. Naruto winced as the hot steel cut into his skin, and cracked the gauntlet in places.

Suddenly, the cloud nin appeared and delivered a vicious kick to his head. Naruto jumped off to the side, and blocked the kick with the gauntlet, which finally cracked under the pressure.

"Since you're just a kid, I'd let you go. But you just piss me off. I'm gonna enjoy cutting off your- What the fuck is that?"

Naruto raised himself to his feet, breathing heavily. The moon came out from behind some clouds, revealing his red furred arm. The single jointed fingers unflexed, revealing claws nearly a half foot long. The red eye flashed once more, and an emotionless, yet still fearsome grin came to the jinchuukiri's face.

"You…fucking monster!"

"Plus fifty points for perceptiveness. But fate demands your blood. **Kaze no Yaiba Gohon Gatana. (**Blade of wind: Five swords"

Still in shock, the Cloud nin could do nothing has five razor sharp blasts of wind emitted from each claw, and sliced right through his body.

--

Hiashi was in a state of panic. He was running down the road that ran past the Hyuuga estate. The kidnapper, though skilled had left fine traces on the ground that the Byakugan could detect. Suddenly, there was a discharge of chakra up ahead. The Clan head's heart rate rocketed, and he sped up.

--

_Pulse….stable. Wounds….none. State…..asleep, possibly due to genjutsu._

Naruto completed his analysis of the Hyuuga heir, and turned to himself. His left bicep was showered in metal fragments, leaving him unable to lift the child. But no matter, ANBU must have heard the commotion by now. More importantly….

Naruto scowled. His arm had been revealed…this wasn't good. He scourged around the dead man's bloody shirt and ripped off an appropriate sized piece to wrap around the abnormity.

_A monster, I am. Yet a soul, I possess. I do, don't I?_

**Uhuhuhahaha. Child, you're fucking nuts. As if having me screwing up your life wasn't enough, you have no idea what this trainings done to you**.

_Quiet, demon._

Before Naruto could argue, he sensed someone else coming up the path. His red eye flashed, and instead of seeing light, he saw chakra and infrared radiation.

_It's…Hiashi-sama?_

Naruto immediately snapped to attention and bowed. To the Hyuuga, he was not to speak until spoken to; simply just bow.

--

Hiashi came to the battle scene and didn't know what to think. From what he saw, the Cloud nin had been propelled backwards about 3 meters and into the wall. Five rivulets of blood stretching from the wall to the site of the strike proved this. And….

_That child….did this. He defeated Gashira_. _Hinata…..is all right_.

Furthermore, he was incredulous that he knew the proper procedures of formality at such an age.

Hiashi picked up his daughter and reactivated his byakugan to examine her. _Amazing. She's still asleep_.

"Hinata-sama has not been harmed in any way. She is merely asleep."

The clan head turned back to the boy, who was in the process of lowering a headband over his left eye.

"I'm assuming you did this."

"Hai, Hiashi-sama."

_Why is he being so formal?_ "Amazing…for a kid of your age."

The boy didn't answer, but just stood at attention. "Tell me….who are you?"

He continued to remain silent. Hiashi's brow furrowed.

"I said, 'Who are you?'"

Before he could answer, Yamato appeared between them in a leaf shunshin. Immediately after, the Hokage also appeared, and the trees were lined with ANBU.

"Good work Naruto. We'll handle the clean-up."

Hiashi's eyes widened. _The weapon! Of course! That explains the strength and the stoicism._

The Hokage glanced at the dead body of the Cloud hero. _Ugh….A man of my age should _NOT_ have to deal with this kind of trouble. ._

--15 minutes later

Yamato, Naruto and the Hokage were gathered in the conference room of the Hokage tower. There was a knock at the door.

"Hokage-sama," Hiashi called. "I brought Hinata home and came here as soon as I could." He took a seat at the table with the three other men.

"Hn. Hiashi. What do you predict will happen after this little incident?"

The clan head froze at the abruptness of the question. "Well, those Kumo bastards will demand reparations, of course. Most likely, it will be the boy's life." He glanced at Naruto. _Amazing. We're discussing his fate, yet not an emotion has flickered in his head. No. He wasn't ordered to respond. How unsettling…_

Yamato coughed. "I don't think so."

"Eh?"

"We're talking about a dead tokabetsu (special) jounin. There's no way in hell they'd ever believe that some seven year old killed him."

"Well, what do you have in mind?"

The jounin was merely a teenager, yet his eyes showed a strange kind of maturity that seemed almost artificial.

_Teacher and student. They're both anomalies._ The clan head thought.

"I say…we tell them that a Hyuuga did it. That's what they'd believe anyway."

"What?! I am not sacrificing one of my –"

Yamato sighed. "No. you didn't let me finish. We merely tell them that it was a Hyuuga, but instead…we ship WEAPON-9."

"What? What'll that achieve? Besides losing an extremely valuable commodity. As much as I hate to admit it, I'd rather sacrifice a Branch member than our trump card."

The Hokage interrupted. "I'm glad, Hiashi, that at least you attach some value to Naruto. But, I must agree with Yamato's plan."

"Hokage sama…I'm afraid I don't understand."

"This is a perfect situation for our contingency plans. We made several of them in the case that other villages found out about Naruto and tried to kidnap him. The one Yamato and I have in mind is a brilliant counter-attack. A Trojan Horse, if you will."

"Excuse me?"

"Allow me to explain. Naruto. Unwrap your arm."

The boy who had been quiet and still for the past few minutes immediately complied. Nothing could have prepared Hiashi for what he saw. He fell back against his chair, and his Byakugan activated by reflex.

_Red fur….claws…the Kyuubi._

"Calm down, Hiashi! This….this is the true purpose of the weapon project. Naruto would have had a hard time harnessing the beast's chakra. But by having stolen one of its limbs, that is a piece of cake."

Hiashi shook his head. "Hokage sama, I think it is best you explain."

The Hokage briefly told Hiashi about the assassination attempt and the two years that were spent getting Naruto accustomed to the use of his new parts.

The clan head sighed. "This is too much. But I still don't understand, what is this Trojan Horse plan of yours?"

Yamato spoke up.

"It's simple, really. First, we'll send Naruto in a casket that's been lined with chakra absorbent material, so they won't be able to tell he's alive. They'll take it into the village like idiots. The second they open the casket, Naruto will immediately release as much of the Kyuubi's chakra as he can, and create shadow clones. We estimate about…..2,000 clones. Before anyone can respond, Naruto will pull off a Bunshin Bakuuha (Exploding Clone technique). From a previous experiment, we can tell that the amount of damage will range from a few square blocks to about a square kilometer. Can you imagine the kind of damage that'd do to Kumogakure? They'll never approach us again in the immediate future."

"My god…Wait. What about the boy? Won't he be caught in the blast?"

"Naruto, explain."

The boy's expression didn't change, but he spoke in a near monotone voice that still held the timbre of a child.

"The Kyuubi is naturally resistant to fire by essence. While engulfed in its chakra, I will be perfectly unharmed."

Yamato seemed unconcerned, but Naruto's manner of speech shocked the Hyuuga as well as the Hokage. The latter took an extra long draw from his pipe.

_What have I done…?_

--Two days later

_Breathe in. Draw life. Breathe out. Repeat._

Naruto meditated while nailed inside the casket. _Breathe…..slide….._Soon, he found himself in a familiar hallway with the dripping pipes.

"Well, demon. Are you prepared?"

**Insolent whelp. Just because you have my arm, you think you can just go around expending it at ease**.

"I expend because I do, and I do because I can. And I can and I will do whatever it takes to protect the village."

If it were possible, the fox would have sweatdropped.

**You brainwashed little….**

"I don't know what you're talking about. In any case, there are six hours and forty three minutes before this carriage reaches Kumogakure. I will commence mental training until then."

The demon sighed. This kid was so boring and couldn't even be intimidated anymore.

**All right. You remember what I told you about chakra and elemental designations right?**

"Yes. Yamato sensei determined that my chakra is wind based. Yours can control water and earth. In addition, your hereditary traits give you a natural resistance against fire, thought you can't control it."

**Correct. And you remember how to specifically designate chakra for jutsus right?**

"Yes. I use my own chakra for wind jutsus and all non elementals. I channel your chakra via the fox arm to use water and earth jutsus. And I can mass-channel in order to cover myself in your chakra to avoid fire. However, since your chakra isn't my base coil chakra, my suiton and doton jutsus will always be weaker than my wind jutsus."

**Good! It's as if you remember my lessons word for word.**

"I do."

**…This is pathetic, but I'm getting the feeling you scare me more than I scare you.**

"Fear is irrelevant."

**Eh?**

Naruto continued. "Fear is the mind killer. Fear is the little death that brings total obliteration. I will face my fear. I will allow it to pass around me and through me. I will turn the inner eye to see its path. Where it has gone, there will be nothing left. Only I shall remain. The Hokage told me this."

The fox grinned. **A man after my own heart. Well, child. Rest up. You're going to need it if you want to emerge out of this alive.**

-- Eight hours later

The Hokage stood in full battle gear with several of his most trusted ANBU and jounins. Yamato was present, of course. Even Hatake Kakashi was alert, and didn't have his book out.

The band stood at the edge of the Cloud/Konoha border. Messenger birds had told them that the cataclysmic explosion had occurred nearly an hour ago. The Hokage grimaced.

_The boys late. I hope nothing happened._

Suddenly, one of the scout ANBU sent out a call. "I'm getting a strong chakra reading half a click north! It's approaching fast!" Everyone got into a battle ready position.

_Please let it be_

The leaves of a tree rustled violently, and fell to the ground as a result of a Konoha shunshin.

Uzumaki Naruto, a.k.a. Weapon IX, was still crouched in the final seal of Shunshin no jutsu (body flicker technique). His face was covered in dirt, and his long blonde hair that had been tied into a short ponytail was not haggard and pointing out in every direction. His clothes were tattered, and he had cuts all over the place. Already, red chakra sparked here and there, trying to heal the wounds.

"Hokage-sama…..mission. Accomplished…" he managed, before falling to the ground, unconscious.

The ANBU muttered. For a kid of this age to have been able to do something like this…It was like another Itachi or a Kakashi.

The Hokage looked down at the boy he picked up and sighed. _I'm sorry I had to put all these burdens on you….Forgive me when you get older._

--

Seven years after beginning of Initiative 461.

After countless missions with his sensei, and nearly destroying an enemy village, he was still hesitant. _Damn, what is the meaning of this? _Oh, scratch that. It went away. **Damn, that is some good mental conditioning**.

Naruto took a breath…and opened the door to Konoha Ninja Academy Lecture Hall 3.

--

"Ne, -munch- Shikamaru, -much- who's that?" Chouji asked his friend.

The aforementioned lazy nin merely turned his eyeball to the door.

"No idea. Why'd he come on the day of team assignments though? And that's some funky garb," he said, about the boy who had just come in.

His hair was tied back in a short ponytail that ended between the shoulder blades. A Konoha forehead protector went diagonally across his head, covering his left eye. He wore a tight black sleeveless shirt and loose, standard ninja pants. Shikamaru's eyes widened at the number of scars that marred the exposed arms. They seemed as if they have healed halfway, then stopped abruptly. However, most curious was the strange gauntlet on his left arm. It came up to his elbow, where it formed a ball joint, then stopped. The fingers had claws about two inches long.

Before Shikamaru could continue his analysis, the door opened again and Iruka sensei stepped in. Seeing the new kid, he visibly paled.

Chouji elbowed Shikamaru "Did you see that?"

The genius could only nod. They watched as the two exchanged only a few words, and the kid went to take a seat.

--

The rest of the class had seen the new arrival, and had similar thoughts, except for, of course, a certain Uchiha. But soon, Iruka sensei came in and everyone immediately thought of the team assignments.

Every girl save for one, Hinata, crossed her fingers. _Please put me with Sasuke-kun. Please put me with Sasuke-kun. Please put me with Sasuke-kun. _

"Oh-okay then. We'll get started right away. Team 1 will be"

Sasuke spaced out. _That kid. He never came to any of the classes, but he's a gennin. Just who is he? More importantly, how strong is he?_

"Team 7 will be Uchiha Sasuke."

He looked up. "Haruno Sakura." The girl whooped for joy. "And…and Uzumaki Naruto." Both thought _…who?...That kid!_

The said boy leaned back against his seat. "Hn…" He began what Yamato sensei had called "mentat processing". Assimilating his knowledge with the demon fox's to make accurate or near accurate assessments and predictions.

_Uchiha Sasuke. One of two final Uchiha members, and last three to hold the Sharingan. Ninjutsu: High for gennin. Taijutsu: High for gennin. Genjustu:…lacking._

_Chance of surviving a C-class mission: 95 percent_

_Haruno Sakura….no special traits._

_Ninjustu: severely lacking. Taijustu: Low-average. Genjustu average-High for gennin._

_Chance of surviving a C-class mission:...65 percent._

_Hokage-sama…why did you give me this assignment?_

-- End

AN: WOOHOOOOO There's another chapter done. Don't worry about all the training missed. We'll get back to that in flashbacks. Please r&r!!!


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